By Kim Kalunian, WPRO News
For Tim Fox, it’s been a life of maritime adventure.
In his 27 years, Fox has earned his Coast Guard license, scrubbed the decks of the Block Island Ferry and assisted with the cleanup efforts following the 2011 tsunami in Japan.
Today, Fox is the captain of the Block Island Fast Ferry out of Fall River. Each day, he sets sail from the State Pier in Fall River, stopping in Newport before heading on to Rhode Island’s popular summer getaway.
“It’s pretty fun, pretty much everyone loves to go out on the water and everyone wants to drive a boat, and I get to do it for my work, which is pretty awesome,” Fox said.
Fox worked as a deckhand for the ferry while studying at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy from 2006 to 2010.
While folks typically associate the Block Island Ferry with summertime fun, Fox said the ships serve a purpose – sometimes a heroic one – in the winter. In 2009, one of the ships, kept on dry dock in Connecticut, was chartered to help with the recovery efforts following the “Miracle on the Hudson.”
“One time when they were down there, a little jumbo jet fell in the water of the Hudson River and The Athena was the first one to respond and actually picked up Captain Sully,” said Fox, describing the miraculous landing of Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger in the waters of the river. Fox wasn’t there personally, but he said some of his colleagues were.
Before joining the ferry full time, Fox was commissioned as a U.S. Naval Officer on the USS Constitution in Boston. He chose to do a tour in Japan and was home-ported about an hour north of Nagasaki. He said the ship would be sent out for two to three month training exercises with other Asian countries.
But it wasn’t just a drill when the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan in 2011.
Fox said his ship was stationed off the coast near where the Fukushima nuclear disaster occurred, and he and his shipmates helped the U.S. Marine Corps with search, rescue and recovery efforts.
“It’s always been a part of my life,” said Fox of being at sea and wanting to work on the ocean. “Living in the Ocean State my whole life, it’s definitely always been a part of me.”
In high school, Fox decided he wanted to make a career out of his love of boating, and decided to attend the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where he earned his Coast Guard license to captain ships.
Fox hopes to further his education by earning a degree in maritime law. But for now, he just wants to be a typical 27-year-old and enjoy his life with his fiancée and their new puppy.
“I get to drive a boat every day, but I get to go home to my family every night.” he said. “A lot of people who drive ships and boats don’t get that opportunity all the time.”
Fox encourages young people who want to take a similar path to attend a maritime academy, noting that the schools always get top marks in the “best bang for your buck” category.
He said he also has advice for young deckhands just getting their sea legs: “The quote that I give all my guys is, ‘Say your commands confidently and don’t scratch the paint of the boat, and you’ll be ok.’”
